GT LTS-4??

[matt311]

Hey guys im new to the forum Im from the US in Texas and i was just recently given a GT LTS-4 and i cant seem to find ANYTHING on the internet or anywhere about these bikes. I did find a replacement elastomer for the rear suspension.. i road it for a while and was on a tough trail the other day and my rear derailleur hanger broke .. which then led to it breaking the rear derailleur and cable at the same time. im looking to replace/upgrade the rear derailleur the original was Shimano STX RC i think... what can i upgrade it with? i cant seem to find much info on this bike at all.... and im kind of a newbie when it comes to repairing or upgrading bikes. any info is greatly appriciated!! are these bikes rare? i think they kind of are in the US? iv only sen a few online and most of them are from the UK it seems...

thanks again!
Matt

 

[orange71]

little bit of info here: http://www.mtbr.com/mfr/gt/bike-full/20 ... 95crx.aspx

 

[jimihendrix]

You could try this place for parts, shock upgrades etc

http://www.betd.co.uk/

 

[gibbleking]

ps welcome to the site ...enjoy your stay.....

 

[MAXTHEROTTI]

welcome chap

rob

 

[matt311]

Thanks everyone!

Iv been to those sites before and looked around... a few things.

another site that had the parts i needed was http://www.benscycle.net
they have the elastomer rear suspension and a few other parts..

I was able to get an original GT hanger from a place on ebay.

since im such a newbie to repairing or upgrading mountain bike .. back when i was a kid i worked on bmx type bikes all the time very easy... im older now and all these levers, cables, gears... parts... not as easy as i thought it was going to be... and since it more of a "vintage" bike to start with .. well its hard to figure out what parts i can get to fit it ect.. i got a seatpost for it the other day... me not knowing that not all the seatpost have the same diameter .. i got the wrong size and had to send it back for the right one! hahaha not universal i guess

 

[matt311]

I know everyone likes a picture!! here she is!

 

[cce]

the LTS4 and LTS 5 were introduced in 1997 - they had a steel back end and an elastomer shock. the idea was taking the LTS concept to a lower price point

 

[JeRkY]

If you check the gallery up top, theres some GT catalogues showing the LTS4.

Most parts on your bike will be interchangeable with modern. The hanger will be semi specific to a number of GT frames, but the rear derraliuer can be swapped out for just about any you like, new or old.

If you wanted to replace like with like, an STX RC mech will cost relatively few pennys on ebay as its fairly low spec, if however you wanted to upgrade you could if you wished go for brand spanking new XTR stuff that will set you back a lot more. Its all down to personal choice.

Seatposts, clamps & front derraliuers are probably the most variable parts on bikes, due to the different tube specifications and diameters that different bikes are made from.

As for LTS 4's being rare, I cant really comment, but I personally wouldnt class anything made by GT as being particually rare (other than maybe the Ti or top end steel frames, simply because they would have cost so much when new.)
And im pretty sure an LTS 4 is the same as an LTS 5 and pretty similar to the rest of the LTS range other than component spec bundle. (tube sets differed between 4/5 and the others too)

 

[matt311]

cool thanks for all the info!

I found an original GT hanger for it... and have upgraded the rear derailleur and cables.. for now.

I think im going to go for new forks next...